


Ghost Stories

by EscapingArtist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bittersweet, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Loss of Parent(s), Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 23:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20956523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EscapingArtist/pseuds/EscapingArtist
Summary: Inspired by a post in Strictly Dramione "Wonder how many times we are sitting around telling ghost stories and the ghosts around us are like I DIDN'T SAY THAT. HE ISN'T EVEN TELLING IT RIGHT"





	Ghost Stories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WordsmithMusings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsmithMusings/gifts).

> Happy belated birthday Wordsmith Musings!
> 
> JK Rowling owns this world, I just play around with with

Mother. I think you would love her" Draco's voice was barely a whisper as he ran his hand lightly over the headstone. Narcissa wanted to reach out and embrace her boy, tell him that she was sure she would love her, but she knew if she tried her arms would go right through him and that would break her heart. So, instead, she sat on the stone and listened. Listened to his stories about her golden brown eyes and her cinnamon skin and how he didn't know he could deserve love again but she made him feel like he did.

She could sense that Lucius was drifting closer also, as much as he tried to pretend that he didn't care about the goings on in the living world she knew he craved news of their son. She put up one finger, and it was still enough to stop him in his tracks "You will not ruin this for me" she hissed. He looked down, ashamed, the slur dying on his lips, the rant about the purity of their line vanishing. "Just look at him" Narcissa whispered and so Lucius came up next to his wife, their hands drifting close to each other which was as close to touch as they could get. Together they listened to the murmur of their son pouring out his love for the Golden Girl

***

“I want to go to him” Narcissa said, voice determined. Lucius looked up at her, startled, and glanced around to see who she could be talking to. ‘Draco” she said impatiently “I can’t just wait for him to come by here. I need to see him.” 

“Narcissa” Lucius said patiently, heart cracking at the longing in his wife’s voice. “You know it doesn’t work like that. We have to be invited.” Narcissa sank, curling in on herself slightly and drifting off into the trees near the cemetery gates. Lucius watched her, mind whirling. For all his faults, for all the terrible choices he’d made in life his love for his wife was whole and pure. Taking a careful look over his shoulder he made his way to the other end of the cemetery, looking for a place where the borders were thin. Finding such a spot he wriggled through and sped off across the countryside.

He wasn’t quite sure what he had been looking for. Nott had said that you could tell, somehow, the ones who you could talk to. That if you played it just right you could get a message to someone. He hunted the streets near Diagon Ally, looking at everyone carefully, but they seemed so ordinary, going about their basic everyday lives. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glow, it actually seemed to warm him. He turned to the source and found himself drawn, like a moth, towards it. The glow was surrounding a woman and he dipped closer, trying to soak up the warmth that had been missing so long. The woman stopped, startled at first and then letting out a long sigh “Who is it?” She asked wearily 

Lucius paused, “Are, are you talking to me?” he asked uncertainly

“Well, I’m talking to whoever it is that is hovering near my head and disrupting my aura, so yes. I think I’m talking to you.” She snapped back

“Oh, well, ah, thank you Ms…..” Lucius wasn’t really sure the protocol for talking to the living 

“Brown” she said “Lavender Brown”

The name sounded familiar, he thought he had heard Draco talk of a Lavender in their year. It didn’t matter. He tried to moderate his tone, appear as friendly and unassuming as possible “I had heard that with your great talents you could sometimes transmit a message from the beyond to those that live. The others, they speak so highly of you.” In reality, Lucius had never heard them mention Lavender directly but it didn’t hurt to play to her ego.

“That is correct” She preened “Who do you need me to speak to.”

“Ah, Draco Malfoy” he said carefully and her brow arched “I come with a message from...his mother. She misses him desperately and I don’t think he knows that for her to be free to watch over him that he needs to invite her specifically.” Lucius paused, to see how Lavender took the idea, but she just nodded “And, I hear, that his father would also be relieved to be able to check on him in person as well” he added in a rush.

Lavender scowled “I don’t doubt he wants to check on things that nasty old man. I’ll pass the message along but I can’t guarantee how he’ll react.” 

Lucius’ heart fell, well, at least if Narcissa could see him…”Thank you Ms. Brown. You are certainly a paragon of goodliness.” She smiled again and waved as she made her way down the street.

Lucius was feeling slightly dizzy and disoriented, a side effect from being outside the barriers where he was permitted to be. He made his way back to the cemetery, trying to steady himself as the buzzing stopped. 

It was a week before he heard Narcissa cry out, saw her fly over to the graves where Draco was kneeling in the wet grass. He was shaking slightly and steadied himself with a hand on the stone. “Mother” he choked out “Lavender Brown came to see me.” Lucius looked up with a snap and tried to discreetly float closer also. “Do you remember her?” Draco went on “Silly girl really, Gryffindor in our year. Made a fool of herself over...well...almost every boy that came her way. Anyway, she found me at work the other day. Said that she had a message from “the Great Beyond.” I nearly threw her out then and there but Hermione is always scolding me to be more polite. Anyway, she said that she had talked to someone who...who...knew you. Said that you wanted to see me, but that you couldn’t. Well, that you couldn’t come to where I was unless I invited you.” Draco huffed out a laugh and seemed a little embarrassed “I don’t know if any of it is true. But, Mother, you are welcome to come. If it does allow you, if it lets you come and visit then please I invite you.”

He stood to go and Narcissa looked overjoyed, and Lucius fell back, not wanting to intrude on her moment. Draco paused, turned again “She also said, that Father wanted to come. I don’t know if that is true, or if she was just trying to be fair.” He looked up at the sky, hair falling off his face as he tilted back “But, if it is true, if Father does want to come. He is invited also.” His voice dropped and there was a slight quaver. “But tell him, tell him that I bind him from doing any harm, if Hermione feels the least bit uncomfortable I will banish him.” He laughed bitterly “Not that I know if any of this is true. It sounds like one of those Muggle ghost stories that the Weasley’s have gotten obsessed with.” 

This time, Draco didn’t turn back again, just trudged to the edge of the cemetery and apparated away. Narcissa felt a little glow rush through her. Hesitantly, she approached the gate, putting one hand against the barricade she slid right through. “Lucius!” She cried “It worked! We can go!”

Lucius would never admit it, not for all his dying days, but his heart leapt. Carefully he approached the barricade. It was thick and pulsing, not like the thin spot he’d managed to sneak through. Hesitantly he put a hand towards it, and it slipped through like a child’s attempt at a glamour. Narcissa was already off, racing ahead to find their son.

**

Lucius fidgeted uncomfortably in the back of the Hogwarts’ library. “Of all the asinine places” he muttered and Narcissa turned and raised an eyebrow at him “Oh don’t Cissy” he complained “I know you basically think that they can do no wrong but look at this. This is the strangest place for a wedding I have ever seen.”

Narcissa smothered a giggle, old habit since no one could hear them anyway “It’s sweet” she said in defense “It’s where they re-met during 8th year, didn’t you listen?” This time it was Lucius raising an elegant eyebrow at her and Narcissa rolled her eyes “Alright, so it wouldn’t have been MY choice. I think that the flowers could use some work and the color scheme is very out of date and I don’t understand why there is so much red hair among their attendants and not even an official wizarding bond planned…” she trailed off and Lucius winked at her

“There she is” he said in a gently mocking tone “I thought you’d gone all soft on me” She blushed and smiled back before floating off to count the number of guests.

Lucius drifted backward through the wall until he could see the bride getting ready. Harry-The-Boy-Who-Wouldn’t-Die-Potter was going to walk her down the aisle and Lucius was at least grateful that they both had gotten their hair under control for the event. Glancing around to make sure no one could see, he allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. He’d followed Hermione around when he’d been freed from the graveyard. He didn’t agree with a single iota of her politics but she was smart, ruthless and determined and that was something Lucius could appreciate. Also, he had COMPLETELY by accident, ok well mostly by accident, observed her and his son in a rather delightful yet compromising permission. She certainly had skills and was not a selfish lover and he didn’t want less than that for his son. All in all, although he would never say it out loud, he was pleased with his new daughter in law.

***

“Oh NO Lucius, no no no” Narcissa was fretting and wringing her hands “This will NEVER do. It isn’t large enough by half and it is so shabby. WHERE is the ballroom? The formal gardens? WHAT is Draco thinking.” Lucius was shaking with silent laughter, Narcissa hadn’t blinked at almost anything Hermione and Draco had decided to do, but their intent to purchase this small manor in the country seemed to be her undoing. She trailed along the behind the couple groaning in disbelief as the realtor pointed out the kitchen and bathrooms and a rolling yard through the living room window. 

As they headed to the second floor, Narcissa seemed like she was going to go into full blown despair, until the realtor pointed out a pair of smaller bedrooms. “I think those will be perfect for the children, don’t you?” Hermione murmured in Draco’s ear and he smiled and nodded, squeezing her shoulder and wrapping an arm around her stomach protectively.

Narcissa stopped short and Lucius floated right through, a slightly odd but not unpleasant sensation. She turned to him and was beaming from ear to ear “This house is PERFECT” she announced “Absolutely perfect.”

** 

"And THEN! Your Uncle Neville LOPPED OFF THE SNAKES HEAD and all the Death Eaters cowered in fear!" The squeals of glee from the children made Hermione pause in the bedroom door and shake her head. There may have been more lines around his eyes, and perhaps the precious hairline had receded just slightly, but Draco was still bright and lively.

"Hmph" Lucius grumped from the corner "I was there and I can assure you that I did NOT cower."

"Oh hush dear" Narcissa said indulgently "It's a bedtime story."

"You just like it because you come out the heroine 'Then Grandma lied right to the Dark Lord's face. Braver then anyone she was!" Lucius said, mimicking Draco's tone

Narcissa floated closer, one translucent hand stroking down the head of the son she'd still do anything for "But my dear" she said, with a small catch in her voice "At least he is telling our story."


End file.
